Katy Perry’s Lifetime Tour at the Accor Arena in Paris was not a concert in the conventional sense. It was closer to a theatrical production that happened to include live singing. The production design used a science fiction and artificial intelligence aesthetic, with visuals and set pieces that changed the atmosphere of the room entirely from the standard arena concert experience.

The stage design was the most notable element. The setup allowed Katy Perry to move through different areas of the arena rather than remaining fixed at a central stage. This meant that regardless of where you were sitting, at some point during the show the performance came close to you. For an arena that holds 20,000 people, this is an unusual and expensive choice.

Acrobats performed during several songs, integrated into the visual narrative rather than added as separate spectacle. The costumes changed multiple times throughout the evening and each change corresponded to a different section of the setlist and a different aesthetic register.

The fans at this show were among the most devoted I have encountered. People who had followed the tour across multiple countries, who knew the setlist by heart from previous dates, who had coordinated their outfits to match specific moments in the show. Katy Perry has been building this relationship with her fanbase for nearly two decades and what I saw in Paris was the result of that investment.

I rated the show 8 out of 10. The lack of traditional choreography was a noted absence for people expecting the physical performance style of artists like Beyonce or Usher. But the spectacle of the production, the warmth of the connection with the audience, and the genuine joy in the room made this one of the more impressive pop concerts I have attended in Paris.